#138. Meeting the Manseogo Demon, the Black Flame Dragon (2)
"You've worked hard. You've worked hard. You've worked hard."
Three times to each of the Manseogo attendants. The hunchbacked old man, who received no replies to his greetings, slowly made his way out of Manseogo toward the humble shack where he resided. As he wasn't an official servant of the Murim Academy, he couldn't use the dormitories and headed to a small hut hidden somewhere on the academy grounds.
Thud, thud. With a hunched back and a limp in one leg, he looked like movement was a struggle, yet he walked diligently without pause.
When he entered a secluded forest path with no signs of people, a young man appeared before him.
"Eek! Oh dear, you startled me!"
The old man, who always kept his head bowed due to his hunchback, only noticed the youth when he was right up close. He recoiled in shock, nearly tumbling backward.
"Wh-who are you?"
The young man politely cupped his fists in greeting and introduced himself.
"I'm Jin Sowoon, disciple of Tae-eul Gate and representative of the Murim Academy."
"Ah...? Oh, I see. But how did you get here? This isn't a path people take."
Jin Sowoon scratched the back of his head and said,
"Well, I've hit a wall lately, and it's not easy to overcome. I was hoping you'd help me out, old master."
"M-me? No, what could a crippled hunchback like me possibly..."
"Nah, I'm not asking you to teach me martial arts or anything. I was just wondering if you could share some insights on sword aura from the techniques you use."
"S-sword aura?"
"Yes."
"Young master, I've never properly seen the sky since the day I was born. How could someone like me know about sword aura?"
"...I see."
"Of course. Ask anyone passing by, and you'd get a better answer than from me."
Jin Sowoon stroked his chin thoughtfully at the hunchback's words.
"Could you tell me why you're staying here? Then maybe we could make a deal."
"...Why? What's the reason for an old wanderer with nowhere to go doing menial tasks for pocket change?"
"Still, isn't Manseogo at the Murim Academy a bit unsuitable for the Sword Demon, pinnacle of the black path martial world?"
"...!"
The hunchback gaped, speechless at the utterly absurd claim.
"...Young master, are you feeling alright?"
"Hm... So you have no intention of revealing your true identity, huh?"
"What are you...?"
As the hunchback turned his head to look at Jin Sowoon's face, the young man's hands trembled violently, and dozens of fist shadows materialized in the air. They began striking every inch of the old man's body without mercy, as if ready to crush him.
Bam-bam-bam-bam-bam-bam-bam-bam-bam!
Caught off guard, the hunchback flew back over ten zhang, crashing to the ground and spewing blood.
"Cough."
Though the old man lay pathetically on the dirt, Jin Sowoon stared at his own fist and said,
"Impressive. How did you dissipate all those strikes right before they hit?"
"Urk."
As if answering, the old man spat more blood. His pallid face looked on the verge of death. Yet Jin Sowoon showed no emotion as he slowly drew his sword.
"You know, blood from internal injuries is dark red. But fake blood from biting your cheek is bright crimson. I know from experience."
"...!"
"What I'm about to show you is a unique technique from my sect. I'd appreciate it if you took a look."
No sooner had he spoken than Jin Sowoon swung his Black Dragon Sword, summoning five swords in the air. As they began executing sword forms, dozens of illusionary swords filled the space around them.
"It's called Ten Thousand Swords. It can block sword aura, but not overwhelm it. Could you give it your evaluation, old master?"
With those words, the Black Dragon Swords filling the air rained down on the hunchback all at once.
In an instant, dozens of blades hurtled toward him with killing intent, about to shred his frail body to pieces.
Ping.
The hunchback's eyes snapped open, and in his hand was a thin twig like a chopstick. From it surged a massive sword aura over five chi long.
Kaboom-kaboom-kaboom-kaboom!
The Ten Thousand Swords clashed with the sword aura, erupting in a massive explosion. The follow-up aura surge overwhelmed the illusions and engulfed Jin Sowoon.
---------------!
Deafening shockwaves rippled outward. Birds nesting quietly in the mountains took flight all at once, dotting the sky. Unruly wild trees toppled in unison, and piles of fallen leaves scattered like waves crashing in all directions.
Jin Sowoon's clothes, directly hit by the sword aura wave, were reduced to rags.
"Cough."
He spat blood as if suffering internal injuries, then showed the dark red stain to the hunchback with a grin.
"See? Real internal injury blood is this dark red."
With that, Jin Sowoon collapsed.
The hunchback, still holding the twig, stared at him in utter bewilderment.
"What kind of lunatic...?"
He'd roamed the martial world his whole life, encountering all sorts of madmen. But none as insane as Jin Sowoon.
"Ugh...!"
The old man had no idea how to handle the current mess.
#
When he opened his eyes, he was in a dingy shack. The roof was so haphazardly thrown together that sunlight streamed in, and nothing among the furnishings was intact.
'Even the Sword Demon lives like this...'
It seemed genuine that he was staying at the Murim Academy.
His senses picked up the Sword Demon, but Jin Sowoon didn't get up right away. The clash had shaken his internals, causing him to cough blood, so he needed to recover first.
He sat cross-legged and circulated the Tae-eul True Scripture. Scanning his body with qi, it was thankfully not a serious injury.
After tending his wounds and stepping out, he saw the Sword Demon reading a book on the bench. He'd apparently given up the hunchback act, sitting ramrod straight, and didn't even glance his way.
'The Sword Demon reading a book.'
A man so obsessed with the sword he'd earned the title "Demon." Jin Sowoon wondered why such a figure lingered at the academy poring over books.
Approaching quietly, he saw it was theses from academy graduates.
"Why are you reading something like that?"
The Sword Demon was perusing a thesis by a Murim Academy graduate once called the Azure Flower Swordless Blade—not a particularly skilled swordsman, so his paper was mediocre. Just padding out predecessors' work to meet requirements, a hollow shell.
It was bizarre seeing the world's Sword Demon scrutinize it like a sacred manual.
"Do you know what 'The Way begets One, One begets the Two, Two begets the Three' means?"
"I do."
"Explain it."
"Why are you curious?"
"I've read three thousand theses, and they all spout the same nonsense."
"For a crippled hunchback, you sure ask arrogantly."
"...!"
Only then did the Sword Demon look up at him.
"Did you come to see a crippled hunchback?"
"I came to see you, Sword Demon."
"Then it's fine."
"Fair enough."
"Explain."
"It's a basic Daoist teaching. In the process by which all things arise..."
The Sword Demon tossed the book to cut him off. Jin Sowoon reached out and snatched it midair.
"Whoa, too hard to follow?"
"Do I still look like a crippled hunchback who wouldn't know Taiyi, Taichu, or Taishi?"
"Ah, you know them?"
"What I wonder is why everyone writes the exact same drivel with different words."
"Because you can't graduate without it."
"Not for their own enlightenment, just to graduate?"
"Exactly."
"Damn, good thing I never joined this academy."
"Then can I ask a question now?"
"No. Get lost. And don't cross my path again. Next time, I'll kill you."
"Hm... That might be difficult."
"Think I can't?"
Jin Sowoon shook his head.
"No, it's not that. If I die, you won't be able to stay here anymore."
"Think I'll leave traces?"
"No, I'll leave them. Every time I come to see you, I'll tell people I'm off to meet the hunchback old master of Manseogo."
"...!"
He glanced at the theses scattered messily on the bench.
"You're staying at the Murim Academy for some purpose, right?"
"...!"
"I'm nothing special, but as the academy rep, if I die, that hunchback in a suspicious spot will get chased out too... You okay with that?"
Just half a day ago, the man's eyes had twitched wildly at the sight of him. Now, they were still as a vast lake. Was it possible to control even emotional bodily reactions at the pinnacle of martial arts?
"How did you know my identity?"
It was pure luck, really. While memorizing Manseogo's books, he'd seen the hunchback Sword Demon up close often. Later, during the Upright-Demonic Great War, the Sword Demon uniting the black path had the exact same gait and mannerisms. People develop unique habits from their environment. Even twins couldn't erase those subtle differences. But the hunchback and Sword Demon moved identically, like perfect copies.
"I figured it out when you went after my classmate So Cheonsu."
"From that?"
"It was pretty obvious."
Of course, he'd only noticed because he knew it was the Sword Demon and watched closely—and even then, he hadn't seen everything clearly. But he couldn't reveal his foreknowledge, so this vague dodge would have to do. Lately, it felt like all he did since regressing was lie. Sigh, he'd been a gentleman who never lied before.
"Why ask me to teach you when you've seen my moves?"
"Ah, well... Just say I'm obsessed with martial arts like you, Sword Demon senior."
The Sword Demon had once been from an orthodox sect. His indiscriminate duels and ruthless pursuit of martial attainment earned him the "Demon" moniker.
So rather than calmly persuading him, Jin Sowoon opted for the Sword Demon's own mad approach to beg for a lesson.
"You crazy bastard...!"
But the Sword Demon glared murderously, face twisted in disbelief. Being called a "crazy bastard" by a man with "Demon" in his title didn't sit well. And despite mimicking his past self's actions, he showed no willingness to accept him. Selfish, only thinking of himself. Tch, no wonder he turned black path.
He eyed the theses on the bench where the man sat, then looked at him.
"How about a deal then, like I said? I give you what you want, and you give me what I want."
The Sword Demon was one of the rare masters who could face Gwak Gung. Jin Sowoon had to learn something from him.